Adrian Thomas found guilty of second degree murder

TROY, N.Y. — A jury in Troy has found Adrian Thomas guilty of second degree murder in connection with the death of his infant son.

The verdict was revealed shortly before 4:00pm Friday.

The defense had argued 4-month-old Matthew had a preexisting condition that led to his death, but it appears the jury did not buy that, finding Thomas guilty.

It took more than 26 hours of deliberations for the jury to reach their decision. They had testimony from eight different doctors and almost eight hours of videotaped police interrogation to sift through. In the end, they came back with the verdict of guilty.

Prosecutor Arthur Glass says it wasn't just the interrogation video that convinced jurors, but the testimony of the medical doctors he put on the stand.

Glass told the media Friday, “They certainly were struggling with whether or not the injury, the alleged cause of death of this child, was in fact inflicted by the defendant. Again, we're grateful they came to, what we think is, the correct conclusion.”

But Adrian Thomas' stepmother, Pearl Black, believes racism played a role in the verdict and says he was coerced into confessing.

“This is a shame, such a shame,” Black said. “I mean he's still alone. Even in the jailhouse, he still alone.”